Tag: artificial food color

Are the 5 worst ingredients in food running rampant in your diet? Or maybe they’re lurking in unknown places, under names you’re not familiar with. Whether you are generally healthy and fit or trying to get a start in that direction, be sure you can detect and avoid these 5 ingredients.

Identifying the 5 worst ingredients in foods and why we should avoid them

We can all think of plenty of ingredients we should avoid. Sugar and sodium might top the list. But in moderation, those don’t scare me as much as these other ingredients.

From freshagenda.com

Genetically modified organisms are created by forcing genes of one species into an unrelated species. How can we keep putting these lab-created ingredients and foods into our bodies and expect them to function for life? It’s like putting juice in your gas tank and wondering why the car peters out early. GMOs are unnatural substances we’re asking our bodies to process, and they could be contributing to inflammation and diseases including cancer.

Conventional crops (soy, corn, cottonseed oil, canola oil, gluten/wheat)tend to contain genetically modified organisms and also to be sprayed with chemical-containing pesticides during growth. Double whammy here – the GMOs plus non-organic pesticides containing chemicals thought to cause health issues including cancer. This article from 2017 discusses how more than 35 countries have banned the use of GMO crops. It’s possible to do life without the GMOs, so why wouldn’t we?

Most articles about corn syrup focus on high-fructose corn syrup and how we should avoid that. But why not avoid corn syrup all together – low-fructose and high-fructose? They are both processed and made from conventional, typically GMO-containing corn, and found in foods and drinks that we should avoid anyhow.

Artificial food dyes have been linked to aggressive behavior and hyperactivity in kids especially. Research indicates they could be cancer causing. Yet they are in so many foods and even shampoos and soaps to make them colorful and appealing. I’ve even found them in soaps that are clear, too – why, I’ll never know. Artificial food dyes are banned in other countries. We have more natural ways to make our food pretty. Or here’s a thought – we could just teach our kids (and selves) to eat what’s healthy because it’s wise. After all, we all get just 1 body to last a lifetime.

Many artificial sweeteners have proven to cause cancer after long-term exposure or in higher doses. This was the number 1 thing on a list of things to avoid for a relative diagnosed with cancer. There’s a reason for that.

Think of our world without GMOs and artificial ingredients. We grownups will survive the upfront inconvenience and changes of stubborn, unhealthy habits. Our kids will learn to eat what’s good based on wisdom instead of selfishness or desire. We will use other options for food colors, such as turmeric and beet juice, which actually provide health benefits instead of harm. We will be healthier and more full of life and joy.

So how do you avoid the 5 worst ingredients in foods?

Let’s break it down in a chart, keeping in mind this is by no means all inclusive of nicknames.

Are synthetic food dyes damaging your health and livelihood? Could they be a factor in your lack of focus? Your kid’s inability to sit still? The cancer of your dear friend?

Yes. Synthetic food dyes could be contributing to those issues and more.

What’s the connection between food dyes and behavior or cancer?

Recent studies are proving that synthetic food dyes may be linked to both our physical and mental health. Some of the health problems connected with the consumption of food dyes include:

hyperactivity

lack of concentration

ADD/ADHD

aggressive behavior

tumors

The behavior issues quickly become a triple play when you’re the batting team. So not good! First you’re dealing with the distraction. Then the delay or lack of finishing the task at hand. Plus, if you’re taking a prescription medication for the issue, you’re dealing with whatever that drug may be doing to your body over the long-term, which I’m willing to bet is not good.

Granted, sometimes medication is absolutely necessary. But what if it’s the food dyes that pushed your kiddo over the edge and into that diagnosis and prescription? What if those symptoms would go away once he stopped eating and drinking the food dyes?

Now when a tumor is involved, patients are often advised to stop eating potentially carcinogenic foods. Food dyes are one of them. Why give your body even more to battle?

Then why do we have synthetic food dyes?

Food dyes were created to add color to foods – so we would be more drawn to buy them and eat them. Think about it. Which cereals do kids point at first – the tan Os or rainbow of colors? The light purple popsicle made from organic grape juice or the velvet purple one shaped like a rocket? The ice cream treat with sprinkles or without?

In parts of Europe, manufacturers must put warnings about the effects of food dyes on product labels. But in the U.S., manufacturers still only have to list the food dyes in the ingredients. Common man-made food dyes may be listed as:

Blue #1 (Brilliant Blue, FD&C Blue No. 1)

Blue #2 (Indigo Carmine, FD&C Blue No. 2)

Citrus Red #2

Green 3 (Fast Green, FD&C Green No. 3)

Orange B

Red #3 (Erythrosine)

Red 40 (Allura Red, FD&C Red No.40)

Yellow 5 (Tartrazine)

Yellow 6 (Sunset Yellow)

annatto

caramel coloring

FD&C Lakes

artificial color

You may find these food dyes in beverages, baked goods, cereals, gelatin desserts, dessert powers, candy, gum, ice cream, maraschino cherries, pepperoncini and other jarred foods, sausage casings, pet food and personal care products such as medicines and shampoo. Note this is not a complete list. And you may be surprised at how even some brown or white foods contain food dyes as well.

What if these food dyes were never created in the first place? If only.

How do we avoid food dyes?

The good news is that you can change your shopping habits and your kids’ desires.

Say goodbye to the foods with food dyes. Tell your kids the truth about the dyes and that you only want what’s good for them and yourself (literally and figuratively). Make it a team mission to toss them out together.

Shop mostly the outside aisles of the grocery store, focusing on whole foods – those foods that will rot in a few days. If you buy a few packaged goods, look for those without bright colors or at least ones with organic or non-GMO labels. (Some organic products may contain color from natural sources such as beets, beta-carotene or turmeric.)

When out, opt for treats without the dyes. Think funnel cake (though the mix may have some food dye) instead of sno-cone and popcorn instead of candy.

Ideally, foods with food dyes would be boycotted until banned, especially for kids and in schools. The food dyes only entice us to put harmful stuff into our bodies, possibly adding to our struggles while sucking away our livelihood. So be your own kind of bright and avoid the fake colors!

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“A fun, accessible and no-nonsense approach to adopting healthier food choice habits. I have now read and re-read this book at least 5 times. Each time, I find something new to share with my patients.”